Obama compared to LBJ

Policy changes facing President-elect Barack Obama are similar to those faced by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, said professors and professionals at a symposium Thursday.

About 20 panelists met at the LBJ Library and Museum to discuss the lessons Obama can learn from mistakes and successes of the LBJ presidency.

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“The legacy of the Great Society still has an influence on urban society today,” said Houston Mayor Bill White. “We can draw lessons in this time of possibility.”

The Centennial Symposium, hosted by the LBJ School of Public Affairs, honored Johnson’s 100th birthday anniversary.

White introduced a panel of professors to deliberate problems in employment, cities and housing that the Obama administration must address.

Rutgers University professor Norman Glickman said poverty and inner cities are no longer a federal priority after “Ronald Reagan killed urban policy.” As income inequality and urban poverty increase, citizens lose jobs and educational opportunities, he said.

Glickman listed two priorities for the Obama administration, which he said has been deemed the “urban mass-transit administration”: to “re-engage interest in urban America” and “promote innovation in policymaking.” Glickman would also like the government to redirect bailouts to homeowners, rebuild infrastructure, promote greener cities and help make housing more affordable for lower-income families.

“We need to support working-class families,” Glickman said. “Working-class families are in bad shape.” But the panelists agreed that the economy remains the top priority for the administration.

James Galbraith, a University of Texas government and business relations professor, called the national financial woes an “internal system failure” and said that while there is no way to determine the long-term consequences, the government must confront the problem with “realistic pessimism and grim determination.”

“This is the first full-time collapse since 1929,” Galbraith said. “The recession had been going on for a year, but most people were not aware of it.”

Galbraith said employment can fall without an inflation jump. He suggested re-initiating the Reconstruction Finance Program and, if necessary, cutting payroll taxes. The program, created by Johnson, formed new public works jobs that benefited cities’ infrastructure.

Americans saw a 40 percent drop in their 401(k) equity this past year, which has led to a loss in purchasing power, Galbraith said.

Sociology professor Peter Ward addressed how the growing Hispanic population has influenced public policy. He described Johnson as a man dedicated to low-rent housing projects for minorities. Obama will face similar concerns and increased national racial tension as a result of the Hispanic influx, he said.

Mexicans and Mexican-Americans compose 36 percent of the population in Texas, roughly 8.6 million people, Ward said. They make up half the population of San Antonio and 27 to 37 percent of such major cities as Austin. Hispanics have the second-lowest income among American ethnic groups.

The Centennial Symposium will continue Friday to address federal government reform.

Priscilla Totiyapungprasert reports for the Daily Texan, a student publication at the University of Texas. The Daily Texan is a Campus Politico partner.